The Essex County Prosecutor's Office dismissed charges against Marcus Jeter, 30, after a police cam recording brought into question whether the suspect had resisted arrest. Officers stopped Jeter on the Garden State Parkway in response to an earlier domestic dispute involving the suspect.

Now, officers Sean Courter and Orlando Trinidad have been indicted for conspiracy, official misconduct, falsifying or tampering records, and false swearing. Trinidad also faces an aggravated assault charge. Both have pleaded not guilty.

A third officer, Albert Sutterlin, pleaded guilty to tampering and took early retirement, according to news reports.

Disturbance

Courter's attorney, Charles Clark, told Bloomfield Life that Courter and Sutterlin responded to a disturbance at Jeter's home.

Jeter opened an upstairs window and yelled, "Come and get me," to the officers, Clark said Tuesday. Jeter then jumped out the window, got in his car and attempted to leave the driveway.

Courter asked Jeter to stop and show his identification, but Jeter refused, Clark said.

"[Jeter] says, 'I didn't do anything wrong,' and takes off," Clark said. The lawyer also stated Courter smelled what he believed to be alcohol emitting from the vehicle.

Apprehension

Trinidad arrived on the parkway scene after police stopped Jeter. Trinidad talked to the media Wednesday with attorney Patrick Toscano by his side.

The officer said that, when he arrived, his patrol car struck the front of Jeter's car. "I did that maneuver to try to block Mr. Jeter from further eluding and taking off, causing an accident and killing somebody," the officer said.

Trinidad said he did not witness some of the attempts to get Jeter out of the car because he was located towards the back of Jeter's vehicle at those times.

"I heard [Courter] say, 'He's got my gun,'" Trinidad said.

Once police pulled Jeter out of the car, officers attempted to handcuff him on the pavement.

Trinidad said Jeter had his hand under his belly, and the officers did not know if he was hiding a weapon.

"I struck him a couple of times," Trinidad said, noting he hit Jeter's shoulder, head and back. "I thought my partner had been disarmed.

"I'm saying, 'Calm down, the fight's over,'" he added.

Jeter was charged with assault, eluding and resisting arrest.

Dash cams

The first dash cam to surface was from the patrol car behind Jeter's vehicle. It shows Courter pointing a gun at Jeter's driver-side window and Sutterlin holding a shotgun, then Trinidad's patrol car hits Jeter's vehicle. Police are then seen pulling Jeter from his car and apprehending him.

The second cam from Trinidad's patrol car was a revelation, according to Jeter's attorney, Stephen Brown. Previously unavailable from the Bloomfield Police Department, Brown said he obtained that recording through an Open Public Records Act request.

"What [the second dash cam] captured was the fact that Mr. Jeter was not trying to resist arrest, was not trying to disarm a police officer, [and] was sitting in the vehicle with [his] hands up," Brown told Bloomfield Life on Monday.

Clark said the recording from Trinidad's dashboard "does not show criminal activity [on the officers' part]. I've watched it a couple of times.

"This 'smoking gun' existed since June 7, 2012. It was checked into evidence by Sean Courter," Clark said.

Trinidad said both discs were turned into an evidence box. Only sergeants or lieutenants, not patrolmen, can access the recordings' content, he said.

Trinidad said that Lt. Michael Cofone of the Bloomfield Police Department's Internal Affairs cleared the officers of any wrongdoing in 2012.

Another hearing in the prosecutor's case is scheduled for late March.

Courter and Trinidad have been suspended without pay since April 2013. Courter served the force for six years, and Trinidad seven.

"I love serving the people of Bloomfield; I just want to get back to work," Trinidad said Wednesday.

The author is a staff writer for the Nutley Sun. Email: kukaj@northjersey.com.

Attorneys for two Bloomfield police officers came to their clients' defense this week, following allegations involving a June 7, 2012 arrest.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office dismissed charges against Marcus Jeter, 30, after a police cam recording brought into question whether the suspect had resisted arrest. Officers stopped Jeter on the Garden State Parkway in response to an earlier domestic dispute involving the suspect.

Now, officers Sean Courter and Orlando Trinidad have been indicted for conspiracy, official misconduct, falsifying or tampering records, and false swearing. Trinidad also faces an aggravated assault charge. Both have pleaded not guilty.

A third officer, Albert Sutterlin, pleaded guilty to tampering and took early retirement, according to news reports.

Disturbance

Courter's attorney, Charles Clark, told Bloomfield Life that Courter and Sutterlin responded to a disturbance at Jeter's home.

Jeter opened an upstairs window and yelled, "Come and get me," to the officers, Clark said Tuesday. Jeter then jumped out the window, got in his car and attempted to leave the driveway.

Courter asked Jeter to stop and show his identification, but Jeter refused, Clark said.

"[Jeter] says, 'I didn't do anything wrong,' and takes off," Clark said. The lawyer also stated Courter smelled what he believed to be alcohol emitting from the vehicle.

Apprehension

Trinidad arrived on the parkway scene after police stopped Jeter. Trinidad talked to the media Wednesday with attorney Patrick Toscano by his side.

The officer said that, when he arrived, his patrol car struck the front of Jeter's car. "I did that maneuver to try to block Mr. Jeter from further eluding and taking off, causing an accident and killing somebody," the officer said.

Trinidad said he did not witness some of the attempts to get Jeter out of the car because he was located towards the back of Jeter's vehicle at those times.

"I heard [Courter] say, 'He's got my gun,'" Trinidad said.

Once police pulled Jeter out of the car, officers attempted to handcuff him on the pavement.

Trinidad said Jeter had his hand under his belly, and the officers did not know if he was hiding a weapon.

"I struck him a couple of times," Trinidad said, noting he hit Jeter's shoulder, head and back. "I thought my partner had been disarmed.